There’s definitely no shortage of local sinigang souring agents. You’ve got fresh sampalok, tamarind paste, green mangoes—even sinigang mixes do the trick. In this recipe, we got playful and used our favorite Korean banchan: kimchi. Its distinct flavor provided an exciting zip to a familiar soup, on top of a heat that brings spicy ramen challenges to shame. Imagine a cross between kimchi-jjigae and sinigang.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- ½ cup tomatoes, quartered
- 1 ½ cups kimchi
- 8–9 cups water
- 2 packs instant sinigang mix
- 1-2 tbsp gochujang
- 1.3 kg pork, sinigang cut, pork belly, or spare ribs
- 1 cup string beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 3 tsp fish sauce
Heat oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Once oil is hot, cook onions and tomatoes until soft. Add kimchi and cook until fragrant, 1–2 minutes.
Add water, sinigang mix, gochujang, and pork to the pot. Increase the heat to high. Once the water is boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour or until pork is fork-tender.
Add the string beans. Cook until crisp-tender and they lose their squeaky bite, 5–10 minutes.
Finish with fish sauce, seasoning to taste. Remove from heat and serve in a bowl.
